


The First Christmas of the Rest of Our Lives

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Lights, Christmas Music, Christmas Tree, F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 18:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13129077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)Day 24 of the 25 Days of BAU Christmas. <3





	The First Christmas of the Rest of Our Lives

Why was he so nervous?

They’d been dating for nearly two years. He was more in love with her than he’d ever thought possible and he was positive that she felt the same way too. So why is it that when he patted his coat pocket, feeling the small velvet box in the inner lining, his heart skipped a beat? 

After toiling over what ring was the right one, he’d asked the team to help. It looked a little funny to have Rossi, Hotch, Reid, Emily, JJ and his Baby Girl in the store with him, but they’d helped him narrow it down to two final choices. One was a circular-cut diamond with smaller diamonds surrounding all set in rose gold, and the other was a platinum-set with a simple emerald and nothing else. “Which one of these do think she’d like the most?” Garcia had asked.

Instinctively, he’d pointed to the emerald. She wasn’t a flashy person - understated would be better. 

“Ready, babe?” Y/N asked as she floated down the stairs. She was wearing a pair of heavy, dark-wash jeans, one of her favorite ugly Christmas sweaters, and a long, red peacoat over it all. She looked so beautiful. If all went well, by the end of the night, she’d be his fiancée. “Why you looking at me like that?” 

“Just thinking I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world,” he said, slipping his hand in hers as they walked out the door. 

The tree they were going to see wasn’t all that far away, so instead of turning on the radio, they just teased each other about who was going to be giving the better Christmas gift. Normally, it would’ve been her, Derek thought to himself, but this year he had it in the bag.

“We’re here!” Y/N said excitedly, clapping her gloved hands as she stepped out of the car. “I love coming here.” 

“It’s a tradition.” 

She’d been coming here with her parents ever since she was a child. He was going to follow the same pattern. Instead of heading right toward the tree, he’d take her on the outskirts of the building - in small windows were little Christmas displays depicting scenes from holiday favorites like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or even what it might look like at the North Pole. “I hear they might be getting rid of these little displays next year,” Y/N said sadly.

He’d heard about that too; he didn’t want to say anything about it because he knew how disappointed she’d be, but hopefully his later surprise would fix in her mind that she got to be there the last Christmas season they put on these nostalgic displays. “Yea, but you got to see it.”

“Always looking on the bright side,” she replied, turning around to kiss the underside of his chin. “That’s true.” 

Slowly, they took in each window. More to the point, she took in each window display, while he watched the colors play across her face, her smile warm as the memories from her childhood played through her mind. “Wanna go inside for a few?” He asked.

“Yesssss.” After looking at the displays, her mother and father would take her inside where the local children’s charity provided cookies and cocoa in exchange for a small donation to their cause. 

The old Christmas classics could be heard on the PA system as they entered the building and the smell of warm chocolate filled their nostrils. “Mmmmm…I want cookies.”

“Me too,” he laughed. Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he grabbed a $20 bill and presented it to the charity employee, telling her to keep the change - they’d just take one cookie and one cup of cocoa a piece. 

The minute Y/N bit into the cookie, she sighed in delight. “Oh these are amazing.” She finished hers quickly and somehow Derek’s cookie disappeared more quickly than he wanted it to. “If you love me, you have to deal with me eating your cookies.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead. It would be a small price to pay. 

Rather than heading right outside, they took a seat on a nearby bench and watched the children running happily towards the table for their own drinks and sweet treats. It was relaxing just to take in the joy of Christmas through a child’s eyes while the music everyone knew by heart played softly in the background. Y/N nearly fell asleep on his shoulder. “Ready to go see the tree?” He asked softly, squeezing her hand.

“Yea, definitely.” 

All of a sudden, the nerves came back. He truly didn’t understand it. He’d have to ask Reid if there was a scientific reason for being nervous when he knew the outcome.

The tree was nearly 50 feet high. There were no ornaments on it, but it was decked in thousands upon thousands of lights that were blinking in rhythm with the music being played nearby. “I love it so much,” she said, leaning into his shoulder. “I could stare at it all night.”

Gently, Derek patted his inner pocket and pulled out the box. They’d discussed before how they didn’t like the idea of kneeling to propose, wanting to start off ‘on the same level’ rather than have one of them standing above the other. “Y/N?”

The love of his life turned to face him, her eyes settling on the black velvet box in his hand. “Oh my god.” Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes when she looked at him. “Oh my god!”

“Y/N, when you came to my place and met my friends on our second date, not knowing them at all and barely knowing me, I knew you were the one. Although you were nervous about meeting my friends so soon, you knew it was important to me and you took it in stride. You talked with everyone with such ease. They instantly loved you. I didn’t want to admit it to myself so soon, but I was in love with you then, I’m more in love with you now, and in 50 years, if you’ll have me, I’ll be the happiest man in the world. Y/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?” 

The emerald sparkled beneath the lights of the tree. At first, she just nodded her head, unable to speak, but the moment he slipped the ring on her finger, she screeched in joy and jumped into his arms, wrapping arms and legs around him. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Now he wasn’t nervous anymore. He squeezed her tight and clasped her face in his hands, kissing her softly as the other people in the area clapped and hollered in celebration. “I love you, Y/N.” 

“I love you, Derek. Should we go home and toast to us?”

“To the first Christmas of the rest of our lives.”


End file.
